Quest
by StoneWriter
Summary: Vyle the Venomheart, after given the order by the overlord Lucan D'Lere, is sent out to sea to find new land and defeat a band of pirates ravaging Freeport. Part 2 of the Vyle Saga.
1. Chapter 1

To Meet a Tyrant

Seasons passed since the Assault on the Gnolls. After the battle, the army marched back through the monstrous black gate of Freeport. The remaining Captains, Vyle the Venomheart and Smash were awarded medals by the Overlords Dark Elf Seer. She stands by Lucan and predicts the outcome of battles and such. She is also a masterful mage and bodyguard, not that Lucan needs one. He is in fact, immortal. As for the fallen mage Captain Souris, she was buried in the Graveyard of Freeport and was honored in her own little ceremony and feast in her name.

But, time passed and the deeds of those who fought against the Gnolls were forgotten. Smash still attends to his bar and Vyle still drinks a great deal there.

"Smash," Vyle uttered under his breath as he looked down at the bar. "How did it come to this?" He lifted his head and set it on his hand as he took another swill of ale. "Souris is gone, the Gnolls have fled, and the sewers don't have the beast crawling around them anymore." Smash looked over at his depressed friend.

"Ya' know, we could leave Freeport an' look for action elsewhere. Ere' there is nothin'. " Vyle stared at his now half empty glass of ale.

"Ur' right, Smash. But, there is nothin' we can do about it now." Smash nodded and went back to cleaning glasses and taking orders. The doors then suddenly burst open and in walked to of Lucan's heavy guard. They walked over to Vyle.

"Are you Vyle the Venomheart? Speak you wretched lizard!"

"Aye…"

"We have been sent by the Overlord, Lucan D'Lere, to apprehend you."

"Aye…"

"He wishes to speak with you. So on your feet and follow us."

"Aye…" Vyle stood up and followed the guard out of the door. "But," He said, stopping behind them. "I was not finished with my ale. Surely you will allow me to finish it, right?" he hissed and walked back towards his seat. The guard walked up behind him and drew out a sword. He placed the point against Vyle's back.

"I think," the guard started. "If you were wise, you would follow me."

"I think NOT!" Vyle said as he unsheathed his rapier and thrust it behind him, impaling the guard. He pulled his rapier from the guards stomach and turned to watch him fall to the ground. The other guards rushed toward him. Vyle took a step back and ran towards the rushing guards. In a flurry of steel, all the guards fell to the ground. Vyle walked over to the bar, grabbing a cloth. He wiped the blood of his weapon and turned towards Smash. "I trust you can clean these guys up?"

"Yeah, but, wait! Where are ya' goin'?"

"To pay a visit to the Overlord."


	2. Chapter 2

As Easy As Smashing Bugs

Vyle the Venomheart stepped out of the bar and mad his way to Lucan D' Lere's floating fortress. After about fifteen minutes of walking towards the hovering castle, he arrived.

"Cozy." He thought aloud, looking up at the menacing palace. A platform stood before him. He climbed atop of it and it started to take him up to the castle's main entrance. Vyle strode of the platform when it reached the top and made his way into the heavily guarded castle.

"Halt, who are you and what business do you have here, lizard?" A guard said gruffly. Vyle straightened his spine and lifted himself to his full height which towered over the Dark Elf guard.

"I am Vyle the Venomheart and I have been summoned here by the Overlord."

"Ah," the guard growled. "We were told about you. Follow me." The guard strode off at a quick pace and brought Vyle to a pair of massive black doors. "Enter, scum." He barked, pushing Vyle into the entryway which opened magically.

Vyle looked around the room he had been pushed into. Around the walls were picture of disturbing darkness and heads on plaques littered the area left untouched by portraits. On the far left wall stood a book-shelf filled to the brim with books, thin and thick. A desk stood at the foot the book-shelf, covered in scraps of paper and beakers of multi-colored substances. At the end of the elongated room was a large doorway to a balcony. There stood the immortal Overlord himself, Lucan D'Lere.

"How pathetically easy was it?" Lucan said, still looking over the rail of the balcony.

"Sorry, but I'm not following you."

"When you slaughtered my guards at the bar, how easy was it."

"To put it lightly, it was as easy as smashing bugs."


	3. Chapter 3

Your Mission, If You Choose To Except It…

"It appears to me," Lucan said as he approached Vyle. "That you are an extremely capable fighter." A vicious smile enveloped Vyle's face, revealing his razor sharp fangs. "I am also aware you have a gift for sailing." The smile disappeared from Vyle's face as he remembered his childhood.

_**Flashback**_

_A young Vyle Hassir, 8 years after the death of his parents was taken aboard a ship of sea-faring swashbucklers. They had taken Vyle in as a crew member and he instantly felt like he belonged. They were his new friends and his new family. They fed him. They taught him to fight. They taught him to sail. Sailing the seas was a life Vyle wished for after the loss of his original family. It was where he belonged. He even met Souris on that ship of hearty swashbucklers. They had hit it off right from the start and had been friends ever since. But, once Vyle reached his older seasons, he was left in Freeport of his own consent, along with Souris, to start a whole new life. _

_**End Flashback**_

"Is something wrong my reptilian friend?" Lucan said, confusedly looking at Vyle.

"I'm fine." Vyle said hastily as he put a weak smile back on his face. "And yes, ya' heard right. I'm a decent sailor, I am."

"Good, then I have a little mission for you. You will need a ship of your own of course, and a crew. The mission I am sending you to complete is rather…_deadly._" Lucan turned towards his desk and picked up a phial and examined it. He set it back on the desk and turned again towards Vyle.

"There in which lies the problem Lucan. I have no ship and no crew."

"No fear, my scaly friend. I am sure you can find some money and some crew somewhere. Until that time, I guess I could give you a _smaller_ task." Lucan smiled slyly.


	4. Chapter 4

Trivial Tasks

"I can't believe he's sendin' me to clear the sewers of the rodents!" Vyle yelled, banging his mug of ale down on the bar which was now entirely empty except for the Ogre and the Iksar.

"Tha' my friend is truly unfortunate for ya'," Smash said, cleaning a scum covered goblet. "An' to think, I have all this work t'do." he said, wiping the inch thick grime off the cup. He looked up at Vyle whom had a venomous smile on his face. "Oh no! You ain't getting' me anywhere near those disgusting sewers!"

"Oh, what's wrong," Vyle started. "Can't the big bad Ogre handle a little grime and some rodents?" Vyle goaded.

"Oh no! I ain't runnin' from a tiny little RAT!" Smash said, smashing the goblet in hand to a thin slice of copper.

"Works every time." Vyle said as he leaned back into his chair.

Vyle and Smash made their way to the sewer entrance and entered. What they saw shocked them. Piles of green sludge bubbled in the corners of the seemingly living room. A rat the size of a Halfling ran across the room and jumped for a drain-pipe, only to be snatched up by a pile of sludge.

"Crap." Vyle said.

"You said it." Smash said, holding his nose.

"Well," Vyle said, pulling out his rapier. "Time to get to work, eh?"

"Yup."


	5. Chapter 5

Never Again…

"I swear," Vyle said, stepping back into the bar with Smash. "I'll never set _one_ toe in the sewers again!" Vyle sat at the bar and pulled out a cloth and wiped the mixture of blood and sludge of his rapier.

"Aye friend," Smash said, hopping over the bar and gracefully landing on his rear. Vyle chuckled and smash flipped him the bird.

"So, now that I have a fair amount of coin, what should we do about my vessel in which to tear through the seas?" Vyle said dramatically, twirling his blade around. Vyle had explained to Smash about the offer Lucan had made him while slicing, dicing, and pummeling rats.

"Well, a friend o' mine has a _wide_ selection of boats t' choose from. He will surely sell ya a decent ship…with a slight discount." He added quickly. Vyle pulled out his rather weighty bag of gold and listened to it jingle.

"Well, shall we go meet em' or what?"

"Yeah, sure. Just one thing though."

"And that would be…"

"He has a…ummm…_disfigurement _on hisbody which he is quite touchy about. So whatever you do…_DON'T STARE!"_

"Come on, mate. Ya know your old buddy." The two walked out of the bar, heading towards the East Freeport District.

**Twenty Minutes Later**

Vyle and Smash arrived at the docks in East Freeport. Smash lead Vyle over to a little shack on the docks and knocked on the door.

"Remember Vyle," Smash said. "Don't stare…Iggy!" Smash yelled, hugging what appeared to be a normal, green skinned troll. But, when Iggy was released from the embrace, Vyle saw what Smash had warned him about. A large lump of flesh was placed on his back along with a small third arm, acting independently.

"Ole buddy! Havent seen ya' since…" Iggy started to ponder when his gaze landed on Vyle, who was staring at the lump and hand quite obviously.

Smash saw Vyle's expression and gave him a rather large nudge in the ribs. Vyle snapped out of his hypnotized state and greeted Iggy with a quick handshake. Smash cleared his throat.

"Iggy, this here is my old friend Vyle. He be lookin' for a good ole ship to sail."

"Well," Iggy started, looking down at Vyle. "That I…can…help…with…" Iggy said as he started to get angry with the constant staring.

"_It looks like a little Hobbit." _Vyle said in a dream-like voice, still staring at the lump. "_I think it's looking at me." _

"I'm sorry Iggy. He…uhh…just got out of a serious…uhh…griffon accident. Been dazed for weeks now." Smash laughed weakly while secretly crushing his foot down on Vyle's. Vyle let out a howl of pain. He hopped around on the docks and fell straight into the water.

"For that me ole friend," Iggy said in between laughs. "I'll give ya the ship for free!"


	6. Chapter 6

To Find A Crew

After acquiring the boat from Iggy and pulling Vyle out of the water, Smash headed back to his bar, the drenched Vyle following suite.

"Well," Vyle started as he poured water from his boot. "All we need now is a crew." Smash nodded.

"I could ask people who drink at my pub. We get all kinds 'o scum in there." Smash said. Vyle suddenly stopped, a look of euphoria on his reptilian face. "Wha'?" Smash asked. Vyle turned around and ran towards the entrance to Longshadow Alley.

"I've gotta meet with an ol' friend o' mine. See ya' later."

"I, Smash Strongfist, will never in a million years know what goes through the mind of that reptilian son of a…"

"Don't finish that sentence Smash or you'll be _very _sorry!" Vyle called from the Longshadow Alley gate.

"He heard me!"

Later, in Longshadow Alley… 

Vyle walked through the dark alleys of apartments and shops, one hand always on his rapier. You never know when you could be mugged in Longshadow Alley, so Vyle liked to play it safe. He tensed up as a rather imposing dark elf walked up to him.

"He…he…hello. M...m…mind sending a few silver pieces m…my…my way?"

"Back off, you filthy rogue."

"N…not a w…wi…wise choice my friend." The elf pulled from his black cloak a rather imposing knife.

"No, the wise decision would be ta' back off now before I lose my temper."

"W…what? One k…kni…knife not enough? Well, h…how about two?" the dark elf pulled another knife from his cloak.

"I'll give ya' to the count of three to back off."

"I…I'd like to see you try to sc…scare m…m…me off."

"One…"

"Not gonna w…work me m…m…matey."

"Two…" Vyle unsheathed his rapier.

"…"

"Thre—"

"OK! Pl…pl…please don't ki…ki…kill me!"

"Alright, I won't _kill_ you." He walked over to the sniveling dark elf and bashed him over the head with the sheathe to his sword.

Vyle walked down the now deserted alley until he reached a weapon shop.

"Vyle, me ol' hearty! How are ya' me fine friend?" The voice came from an old dark elf from behind a counter. He had a long white beard and a shrunken skull for an earring.

"Victor, why hello."

"Yaar, what be the meaning of this unexpected visit?"

"To tell ya' the truth," he paused. He leaned forward and whispered. "I be lookin' for a crew."

"Well, that I can help ya' with."


	7. Chapter 7

Minor Set-Back

"Alright," Vyle started. "I spoke with Victor…"

"What, tha' dark elf bloke?"

"Yeah, him. He arranged for us a crew. Ol' Iggy supplied us with a ship. Now, all I need is the details from ol' Lucan."

"Well, off ya go then."

One Hour Later 

Vyle approached the floating fortress of the Overlord and was transported up. He walked the long corridors until reaching the Overlords door. He placed his fist upon the door, preparing to knock when it opened. An imposing Kerra walked out of the room and past Vyle, giving him a nasty glare. Vyle took this opportunity to pass through the doors before they closed.

"Ah, Vyle. My reptilian friend. How goes it?"

"Fine, Lucan. I have a ship an' crew and am ready to depart. Just tell me what I need to do."

"Well, then. Straight to business. The shores of the Commonlands are being pillaged and invaded by a group of brigands and smugglers. I want you to rid my land of them."

"Well, if that is all you need me to do, then consider it done. No one, man or monster can stand against me, let alone a whole crew of cutthroats backing me up."

"Now that you mention it, I have one more small favor to ask you before you depart."

"An' that would be?"

"I just received word of skirmishes breaking out in the Graveyard. The undead are not hesitating to attack anyone living. Whether it is a guard or an adventurer, they are slaughtered unmercifully by the unloving scourges. I want you to see what the cuase of all this is. If you are as strong and brave as you say you are, then this should be no problem for you."

"Fine!" Vyle snapped. He tramped out of the room and made his way to the Graveyard, after picking up Smash that is.


	8. Chapter 8

Back in Black

As Vyle and Smash walked into the graveyard, they saw the massacre with their own eyes. Mutilated corpses littered the ground, impaled guards pinned to walls, and the blood. Lots of blood. It was as if the undead were using it to feed.

"Uh, Vyle me ol' buddy…I think I'm gonna blow chunks." Smash turned and did so on a nearby bush. Vyle walked up the path towards the main graves and what he saw shocked him beyond compare. What lay before him was truly a nightmare. Thousands upon millions of ghosts and ghouls.

"What kind of being has the power to create this?" Vyle said, still gazing at the seemingly endless hordes of the undead.

"Vyle, look o'er there!" Smash pointed towards the front of the legion of cadavers. There stood a short, hooded figure. It began to walk towards Smash and Vyle. It raised a hand towards them. It had long, rat like fingers which began to reach for it's hood. What happened next made Vyle shed tears for the third time in his life. Underneath the hood was Souris. She walked towards Vyle and stared into his eyes. Him into hers.

"S…s…Souris?" Vyle said, as she approached even closer. Vyle couldn't believe that this was happening. It was improbable, inconceivable, and unfathomable.

"Yes Vyle, I'm back."

End Part 2


End file.
